


Thantophobia || [damien haas x reader]

by TnCoffee



Category: Smosh, youtube - Fandom
Genre: Damien Haas/Reader - Freeform, F/M, Minor Damien Haas/Shayne Topp, Multi, Shayne Topp/Courtney Miller, Shayne Topp/Reader - Freeform, smosh - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-09
Updated: 2020-10-08
Packaged: 2021-03-07 20:40:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 14,387
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26903785
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TnCoffee/pseuds/TnCoffee
Summary: Working at Smosh had been a dream, but would your dream turn into a nightmare when Defy shut down? What'll happen to your job? Your friendships? Most importantly... what will happen with Damien?**THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS**[[ALL CHAPTERS WITH SMUT OR NSFW ADDITIONS WILL HAVE WARNINGS AT BEGINNING]][[ALL RIGHTS RESERVED]]
Relationships: Courtney Miller/Shayne Topp, Damien Haas/Courtney Miller/Shayne Topp, Damien Haas/Reader, Damien Haas/Shayne Topp, Damien Haas/Shayne Topp/Reader, Shayne Topp/Reader, Smosh Ensemble & Original Female Character(s), Smosh/Reader
Comments: 7
Kudos: 42





	1. Chapter 1

Prologue:

I had been working with Smosh for a while now, it was obvious that I had established myself quite well - I was one of the selective few to survive the Defy collapse last November. I wish I could say that I was devastated that our parent company shut their doors, it was upsetting, yeah...but honestly it was kind of a relief. 

Being a writer for Smosh had been a long-time dream, and being trained as an emergency editor on the side was everything I moved to L.A for, but the contract that came with it was a living nightmare - I had always, always loved scriptwriting and helping with productions but the deadlines that Defy set were almost impossible to meet and when they were met... You were rewarded with a disgruntled nod and more work with the following deadline. The only thing keeping me going was the rest of the crew doing it tough beside me and the constant love we'd get from the cast, it wasn't surprising that we all formed strong friendships in and out of the office.


	2. One

The day we were told was cold. It was hardly nine in the morning when we were all bunched into one of our boardrooms and had the bombshell dropped on us. There were tears, fists thumped against tables and nearby walls in anger, shocked faces sitting in utter disbelief and so, so many unanswered questions. Ian was the first to jump up to speak, Matt Raub blocking the door after our overheads had left the room,   
"This will obvious cause some ruckus around here, but I want you all to know," he emphasised all and he made it feel like he made eye contact with every one of the stunned faces in the room, "this is not the end of Smosh." He somewhat laughed to himself before thumping a closed fist against the whiteboard behind him, "We are stronger than that, God damn it!"  
A billion questions were thrown in his direction, "What are we going to do?", "Where will we go?", "Are... Are we all going to be laid off?" - The room fell silent, all heads turning to Ian again. He looked up from his hands.  
"No. I am going to do everything in my power to keep us together, Anthony and I started Smosh with nothing and I'll be damned if I let that all go to shit!" The squad stepped closer and engulfed him in a group hug, quickly followed by the Games cast and little by little everyone joined until we were all touching at least four other people. After a short forever that no-one wanted to end, Ian stood on a chair, "We'll survive this. We're a family."  
\---------------------------------------------------

I would like to say that our 'family' lasted through all the dramas that followed, but the unfortunate reality of it was that people could not get by with just someone's hopeful word. Bad news travelled fast, and soon enough other companies took advantage of Defy's demise. The editing crew started to drop like flies, getting calls almost immediately from big companies who admired their work and offered them a hefty starting bonus if they jumped ship... And they did. Soon the writers, including myself, began to get poached, we started getting emails upon emails claiming that we had jobs if we wanted them and the money they were offering was something I'd only ever fantasised about. 

As I began to type yet another "Thank you, but no thank you" email back to a hotshot company who had already taken so many of us, I heard one of my close friends talking in a hushed tone at the other end of the office, "... I would absolutely love to take your offer and if at all possible, I would like to start on Monday," I stood and began to walk over in shock, "Tomorrow? Of course, I can! Thank you!" she hung up the phone and leaned back in her chair with a sigh.  
"Are you kidding me Tammy?" The harshness of my tone causing her to jump, she began to nervously laugh and say she didn't know I was in here, "You're taking a job? I thought we were not going to take anything! We made a pact!" I rushed my words to stop the hurt from seeping in. She looked at me with a sorrowful glance,  
"Y/N, I couldn't say no. The offer was almost too good to be true and the money is a dream - you know I'm struggling." I shook my head softly, of course I knew; we were all struggling. "Please don't be mad at me... This is hurting me. I love this place, I don't want to leave, I just have to." She had the same look on her face that everyone else did when the reality of the situation began to sink in, "I have to go tell Ian and Lord knows I'm going to cry." I could not say anything, so I hugged her tightly and wished her luck.   
\---------------------------------------

There were only three of us now. We had eight at the beginning of the week, now that was the total editing and writing crew put together. I did not even want to think of the production team, let alone the film crew. I stood in the kitchen staring up at the empty cupboard, "Bastard's took all the company coffee mugs..." I said out loud, earning a laugh from behind me. I smiled knowing exactly who it was, "Glad you find my grief comedic, Damien." My comment was met with a comforting arm over my shoulder.

"I find it comedic that you choose to be mad about the mugs and not a more pressing issue," he reached to a higher shelf that was slightly out of my line of sight and gripped onto a Zelda mug as I began to mumble that I had some choice words about the situation but I thought I'd spare his innocent ears, he chuckled and handed me the mug, "Here, use mine." He placed it on the counter, "Consider it yours for as long as you'd like." I smiled and pulled a tea bag from the box.  
"You're a sweetheart Dames - thank you." I rested my head against the hand he had on my shoulder.

"Aw shucks - but... I do actually have a real reason to come and talk to you," I moved gently out of his side hug to get milk from the refrigerator as I looked at him with mild concern. Setting my tea down, I turned to give him my full attention, “We've lost a lot of people and I wanted to try convince you to stay..." I scoffed and rolled my eyes with a soft smile,  
"So, you drew the short straw to come and talk to me?"  
"No, not at all! - I did this on my own accord, I don't want you to go... Ian said it best, we're a family and if you left it wouldn't be complete."  
My heart fluttered and my cheeks blushed, "I'm sure you've said that to everyone."   
"Yeah I've spoken to everyone," my heart dropped, "but only as they were walking out the door, it is different with you, we're closer than that Y/N/N."  
"How so, Damien?" I crossed my arms and leant up against the countertop.  
"You were the first person I met when I started working here, obviously I knew Shayne but you made me feel welcome and that's not nothing to me," he stepped closer and put a warm hand on both my crossed arms, "You make me feel comfortable and if you leave... Well that will damn near break my heart."  
The combination of his words and the touch of his hand sent butterflies straight through me. "You really don't have to worry," I released my arms and smiled at him, "I don't plan on going anywhere anytime soon."   
"That's the best news I've heard all week." and with that, he was off; tossing the orange in the air playfully that he grabbed on his way out. I did not realise I was staring until Mari walked in and attempted to make conversation.  
"Y/N?... Y/N!" I snapped out of my trance and looked at her with wide eyes.   
"Yeah, sorry. Hey Mari!" she furrowed her brow at me but shook it off. "Were you saying something? I was just..."  
"Checking Damien out," she winked as I stuttered an objection, turning beet red, "don't worry girl, your secret is safe with me." I smiled as I took my tea I had previously forgotten about back to my desk.  
\---------------------------------------------

My mind kept wandering as I looked over all the unedited footage I had on my desktop - the stills were full of smiling faces, true genuine laughter shared between real friends. The Squad videos were always my favourite to edit. The stupid games they would play and Shayne's ridiculous jokes along with Courtney's one liners that would have everyone in hysterics. It was unknown if these videos would even see the light of day. This one in particular was a continuous fan favourite - a Try Not to Laugh - with a guest appearance from Damien. I pressed play and our producers' voices filled my headphones giving directions before quiet on set and the Squad introduced the video. It wasn't intentional but all my focus was on Damien, his goofy, soft smile was contagious. The more I watched, the harder I laughed and the faster my heart would beat whenever Damien's voice rang through my ears. The video ended and I sat staring at the final frame.

It was certain - I had feelings for Damien Haas.


	3. Two

Saturday afternoon swung around, and I was finalising a script idea to pitch to Ian when I heard a loud clanging coming from the hallway. I got up and peered out of the open door to see the man I was about to track down, throwing staplers at the walls - usually seeing Ian down this end of the Smosh building was a joyous occasion but I'd never seen him like this. From what I could gather from looking at the aftermath of his grief-stricken rampage was that we had lost someone else.   
"Ian! You're hulking out buddy!" he stopped dead in his tracks and glared at me in shock.  
"Y/N? What are you doing here…" he began to walk towards me, his eyes refusing to meet mine out of embarrassment.  
"I thought I would come in and finish some things I'd been working on, in peace," I held open my office door and invited him in; obliging, he slumped down on one of the beanbags surrounding the empty desks.   
"It's not like you wouldn’t get peace on a daily basis nowadays - everyone's gone." he ran his hands through his fringe.  
"Usually that would be the case, but somebody decided to break my concentration by remodelling the place," he looked out of the window in shame as I laughed lightly, "So who was it this time?"  
He began ravelling names off, multiple from the already scarce film and social media teams. I shook my head in disbelief, "This is garbage!" he exclaimed as he groaned to the ceiling. I swivelled my chair closer to him,  
"This isn't on you Ian." he scoffed at my comment, "Listen to me! I know you and I know you'd be taking this all personally, but you need to know that none of this is on you! Everyone, past and present, loves you - they needed to save their livelihoods, they had to get out." I chuckled I frustration at the thought of all the broken promises we'd made to each other as a team, "They had to be selfish, not because they're bad people but because they were struggling to stay afloat."  
"I know all of that, it just doesn’t change the hurt that I'm feeling," he sat up straighter and looked at me, "did you know that only about eighty percent of the staff we lost told me they were leaving? The other twenty I had to find out from their new employers when they called for references for their work!" I sat back in my chair, not knowing what to say in response. Ian joined my silence, neither of us wanting to continue the conversation as we knew we'd just continue to get more and more furious.   
"I wanted to talk to you about a few things…" I attempted to change the subject when he looked at me as his face went a little paler.  
"Please don't tell me you're leaving too!" his tone was rushed and panicked. I shook my head frantically, waving my arms in place,  
"No, no, no! Absolutely not," he breathed a sigh of relief as I rolled my eyes and mumbled "I have loyalty" under my breath. He let out a laugh, obviously hearing what I said as he stood from the beanbag and moved to the vacant seat beside me.  
"Well, you have my full attention." Excitement filled my eyes as I opened the folder on my desk and began explaining future video ideas, pieces of paper soon invading my entire desk.  
"I know they don’t seem like much now, but with more a little work and some of your input and expertise I'm sure they'll be great." I offered - Defy had really limited his creative ability, so I hoped that including him in my plans would set something off inside him.  
"I'm really impressed how extensively you've worked this out," he held up a few pages of the script, coloured post-it notes covering almost half of it. "Do you honestly think that we'll be able to do this with the limited resources and crew we have?" I nodded,  
"I do, I can talk to the remaining crew and hopefully the cast will be down for it as well…" he stared at the paper in his hands and it was almost as if I could see the cogs turning in his mind, "I want to help you. I want to help us," I placed my hand on his wrist as we smiled softly at each other, "We're a family, remember?"  
____________________________________  
Within the hour, Ian had emailed the remainder of our staff that first up Monday morning would be an important emergency meeting. I smiled at my desktop confidently. We could fix this. 

I grabbed my coffee mug and wandered into the kitchen on the floor below, humming happily to myself, letting the lyrics of whatever song popped into my head slip out. I was shocked when I was met with a goofy set of smiles as I entered, I sarcastically yelped in shock. "Oh my, I was told his building was abandoned, are you real or just two very cute looking ghosts?" I smiled widely at the boys sitting at the tiny table in the corner.   
"Our cover's blown, we must retreat!" Shayne exclaimed in one of his many character voices, Damien following suit with his Randall Pibbers voice,  
"But the heist!" All three of us bursting out with laughter.  
I placed the mug under the water cooler next to the table, Shayne eyeing it suspiciously as I filled it, "Y/N, why do you have Damien's mug?"  
"I gave it to her," Damien smiled as we made eye contact, "Why are you here today? You don't work Saturdays? He asked as he pulled the chair beside him out and gestured towards it. I raised an eyebrow,  
"I could ask the two of you the same question," I peered into the refrigerator to discover I'd forgotten my lunch, "Shoot…" I mumbled as I sighed, sliding into the seat I was offered. Without a word, the dark-haired boy pushed half of his sandwich towards me as Shayne began answering the Damien's question himself.  
"Tanner was here for a while so we took advantage and filmed some episodes of Smosh Pit Weekly and the Damien and Shayne Show," he was completely oblivious to Damien and my silent fake argument, pushing the sandwich back and forth, "We might film something else before we head home."  
"Ah, so you're doing what I'm doing," they both looked at me, "keeping busy in hopes things will be okay." They screwed up their faces as they agreed.  
"Do you think things will be okay?" Damien asked, extending his leg slightly so his knee brushed mine, I looked up with a smirk.  
"Yes, I do," I crossed my arms smugly, "I got Ian to laugh this afternoon and he agreed to let me say a few things at the meeting - so you both better be there!"  
"Are you sure you're not the ghost or some early Thanksgiving spirit of hope?" Shayne laughed.  
I flicked my hair over my shoulder dramatically, "I'm kind of amazing."   
"I agree with that…" Damien piped in as he stretched his arms over his head, my eyes being immediately drawn to the muscles in his arms. Shayne began packing up his lunch,  
"We should get back to work, I hope we can get something good filmed with this new energy you have bestowed upon us," he bowed enthusiastically as he threw his trash out. "Bye Y/N/N!" he yelled as he walked down the hallway. I shouted a quick goodbye in his direction as Damien finished making himself a tea in a disposable cup.  
"I'll see you later?" his goodbye was more of a question than a statement, I nodded.  
"Drop the footage you filmed today by my desk before you leave?" he nodded and took a sip of his tea, walking out the door. I heard him make a noise of remembrance and turn around to come back in the kitchen,  
"Don't forget to eat your lunch." I looked down to notice the half sandwich still sitting on the table, I glanced up to protest, but my eyes were met with a wink as he walked out the door. I shook my head, trying to stop my mind replaying his wink over and over again. My stomach growled and I knew it was impossible to ignore the hunger now - grabbing the sandwich with a roll of my eyes, I headed back to my desk.  
_______________________________________________  
Four-thirty rolled around, and I yawned my first yawn of the night. It was starting to get dark outside as the winter night crept in. I'll just finish the last few edits then I'll shut down for the night, I thought to myself as a light tapping caught my attention.   
"Hey, you said you wanted the footage when we were done," Damien smiled, handing me a few SD cards.  
"Beautiful, thank you!" I but my lip in anticipation of the hours or raw comedy that I was just handed, "Are you heading off?"   
He nodded, "Yeah, are you? I'll walk you out." My plans for finishing this script went out the window as I quickly saved and turned off my computer, "Absolutely." I stood up and put my hard drives and the SD cards in my bag before throwing my coat and it over my shoulders.   
"I… ahh… if you wanted to talk about the footage or if you had any feedback for us…" he rubbed the back of his neck, "I could give you my number - only if you'd like!" My cheeks turned red as I smiled,  
"I'd like that, thanks Dames." I handed him my unlocked phone to add his number straight in. I fiddled with my keys and held onto the mug as we walked to the elevator. "So, any plans for the rest of the weekend?" I asked as I buttoned my coat.  
"Probably just Mario Kart with Shayne and cuddles with my girls," I felt a cold tingle run down my spine, his girls? He reached into his pocket, "Aren't they the cutest?" I glanced over to see two cats on his lock screen, I laughed at myself, mentally face palming.  
"Cats! Right - of course!" I shook my head, "They're adorable." he chuckled as he looked at me,   
"Yeah this one is Freyja and this one is Zelda," he pointed to each cat as he said their name, I made a mental note of which one was which for future reference. "Did you think I meant actual girls?" he wiggled his eyebrows at me. I put my hands up in surrender,   
"I don't know! You could have had some pretty interesting Saturday night plans." I laughed as we stepped off the elevator to see Shayne waiting in his car, hiding away from the chill of the November air that just hit us.   
Damien threw an arm around my shoulder quickly, "See you Monday Y/N."  
"Bye Dames." I smiled, throwing a small wave at the other man who returned it with a smile.

I watched the car drive off as I walked to my car in the dimly lit parking garage. Unlocking it, I tossed my bag on the passenger side seat and sat down, the seat still feeling icy through my jeans. Turning the key to start the car and the heat, I was only met with the sound of my engine whirring, but it remained off - I tried again… and again.   
"Shit!" I groaned as I hit my steering wheel, almost setting off the car horn. I turned around to look in my back seat, thankfully seeing my jumper cables, gaining a small bit of hope but losing it suddenly as I saw I was the only car in the lot. I reached for my phone and unlocked it, it automatically opening to Damien's contact. I noticed the small 'x' he had put next to his contact name and tried not to start daydreaming - I knew I shouldn't call him… but they did only just leave - they wouldn't be too far. I put my hand on my head and hit call.

"Hello?"  
"Damien, hey! It's Y/N…" I sighed, frustrated at myself, "how far away are you?"   
"Not far, like a couple of blocks - why? Are you okay?" I could hear Shayne asking what was going and Damien mumbling to make a U-Turn.  
"My car won't start - is it possible that you could come back and jump me?" I but my tongue as I made the accidental innuendo.  
"On our way - Shayne do you have jumper cables? - We'll be right there - No? What? Come on, man!" Damien tried to hold a conversation with both of us while I attempted to advise him that I had everything we needed but he couldn't hear. I stayed on the line as I lifted my hood and got the cables ready.  
Within two minutes I saw Shayne's car driving up to mine. I held out the cables in front of me so they could see, gaining a "Perfect" down the phone from Damien before I hung up the phone and stood there defeated.   
"My knights in shining Jetta!" I joked as Damien got out, walking over to my car and connecting the leads when Shayne was ready. I watched as both men revved either engine until my car rattled to a start. I cheered happily, "I cannot thank you enough," the sincerity in my exhausted voice rang through the garage.  
Shayne shook his head, "Think nothing of it, we were just down the street." I walked over and hugged the blonde quickly before he got back into his car. Turning around I watched Damien's tall frame struggle to get out of my small box of a car.  
"Lucky you thought to give me your number - the call out fee alone for a mechanic would have killed me."   
He laughed, "Make sure you don't turn your car off until you get home safe," he engulfed me in a warm hug that I didn't want to leave, "Can you please text me when you get home so I know you didn’t break down on the interstate?" I giggled into his chest as I agreed.   
He let me go and stood by my car as I got in. He took a step before I stopped him, "Wait, Dames -" I half stepped out as he turned, stood on my toes as I placed a small kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."  
He blushed, my body suddenly feeling warm. "If I knew I'd get a kiss from a pretty girl, I would have been a hero sooner." He smirked and winked as he walked off, getting back in the car with Shayne. After a moment of getting myself organised, Shayne motioned for me to drive off first so he'd be able to make sure I got off alright, and thanks to those two goofballs; I was home safe and warm in no time. 

Message to: Damien x  
"Home safe x"

Message from: Damien x  
"I'm glad x"


	4. Three

Damien and I texted back and forth for hours. It wasn’t until my phone lost all charge that I noticed the time; it was ten-thirty and exhaustion finally hit me. I got up from my lounging position on my bed and wandered out to the living-room that I shared with my roommates – Nicole and Angie.

Stretching my arms, they both turned their heads in my direction,  
“She’s alive! I assumed you had crashed for the night.” Nicole exclaimed as they paused the Netflix series they were binging.

“I was talking to a friend; I guess I just lost track of time.” I smiled to myself as I thought of something silly Damien had said.

“Look at her face!” Angie grinned widely as she pointed in my direction, “it was a boy-friend, wasn’t it!” She jumped up on her knees to look over the back of the sofa, excitingly hitting the other girl’s leg.

“I never said that…” I trailed off as I poured myself a glass of Orange Juice. Still smiling to myself, I looked over my shoulder to see them staring at me in anticipation, “Okay fine – yes it was a boy!”

The both of them jumped apart, leaving a space between them free so I could sit down – I crossed my legs as I sat, holding my glass with both hands. “It was Damien-“

“Wait! ‘Damien-Damien’? The cute one who started at your company not long after you?” Angie quizzed,

“Yeah is that the one who gave you his mug the other day?” Nicole piped in. I blushed hard,

“Yes that one! It’s not that big of a deal.” I looked down at my legs as both girls started relaying all the little things I had mentioned about Damien in the past – sometimes confusing him with Shayne, Wes or ‘That Corn Guy’. “I can’t help it if my co-workers are hilarious – it would be a real crime if I kept that to myself!” they shook their heads softly at my desperate attempt to defend myself. I had to change the subject, “Oh! So my stupid car wouldn’t start when I was leaving work tonight so Damien and Shayne came bac-“

“They just came back and helped you?” Angie winked at Nicole, “You got some kind of bat signal on you now?” I pursed my lips,

“No smartass, I called Damien and-“

“You just called him straight away, before a mechanic?” Nicole pestered with a smirk. I nodded and relayed the story. “Well, it seems like he likes you,” she looked at Angie, getting a nod of agreement, “or he just wants to fuck, but you should hit that anyway.” I was slightly taken aback by her words,

“Damien’s a nice guy, he’d do it for anyone, you forget that Shayne was there too…”

“Do him too then.” Angie added as she picked up the remote to resume their show.

“You know there are guys out there that don’t just want to get into someone’s pants,” I bit back as I got up from my spot and walked to the kitchen, “I also don’t just jump in bed with anyone, I like to have a connection!” defence laced in my voice. I washed my glass as I heard Nicole call out to me,

“That’s why you’re so uptight, babe!” Nicole called out after me. I went to bite back and say the bitchy things that came to my mind but I knew it wasn’t worth it. I mumbled back that I was going to bed, just loud enough to be heard. “Oh Y/N/N?” She called out again, I sighed a little too loud but hummed a response, “I’m going to need your rent by tomorrow.” I stood in the hallway and calculated things in my head,

“I still have another week?” I questioned, she drew out the word yes, followed by a but…

“I actually need it this week, I have things I need to pay for – did you not get my texts today?” she raised an eyebrow at me as I shook my head, she never texts me, “Oh, well I sent you two; one said that I need it by tomorrow and the other said that I need an extra fifty dollars on top of that as rent has jumped!” she kept rambling as she turned her head back to the television. I rested my head against the door frame of my room,

“Nic, I don’t have that kind of money right now – my hours may have gone up but my pay has gone down; I can give you the regular rent next week when I get paid, but the extra fifty is going to be really hard… the company went bankrupt, I’m lucky I even have a job to go back to-“

“Y/N, I really don’t care, I just need three-hundred dollars by tomorrow or you won’t have a home to come back to! Goodnight Hon!” her eerily sweet tone told me she wasn’t kidding.  
I walked into my room and flopped on my bed, staring up at the ceiling. Three hundred dollars! What the actual hell! I rolled over and grabbed my phone, switching it back on to be greeted by three messages from Damien.

Message Received: Damien x (3)  
“Obviously my favourite is ‘My Hero Academia’ but ‘Sword Art Online is pretty good too. What’s your favourite?”  
“Y/N? Did you fall asleep on me?”  
“I’ll take that as a yes. Goodnight Y/N/N! Sweet dreams x”

I couldn’t help the thoughts of dread coming into my mind but a smile formed on my lips as I typed back to him.

Message to: Damien x  
“I’m so sorry – my phone died! I hope you’re asleep now, it’s super late – but my favourite anime is definitely ‘Angel Beats’. Goodnight Dames, we’ll continue this conversation tomorrow xx”

_____________________________________

I don’t know whether or not I slept at all that night – it wasn’t until Damien’s good morning message came through asking if I had sweet dreams that I realized how tired I really was.

Message to: Damien x  
“I wish I had super powers :(”

Message Received: Damien x  
“As do I :( what would yours be?”

Message to: Damien x  
“The ability to pause time for however long I wanted to. I’d love to be able to sleep for days on end and not worry about wasting time.”

I sent my message off and contemplated how good life would really be.

Message Received: Damien x  
“Did you not sleep well?”  
I sighed, of course he’s read between the lines and call me out.

Message to: Damien x (2)  
“I couldn’t tell you if I slept at all, it wasn’t a good ending to the night.”  
“But anyway – what would your powers be?”

Message Received: Damien x (2)  
“Go have a warm shower, you’ll feel better.”  
“I’ll tell you when you’ve looked after yourself x”

I smiled to myself as I texted him back a quick ‘fine’ and walked out of my room, grateful that I was the only one awake. The last thing I needed was Nicole barking at me again, especially not now my exhaustion has brought this piercing headache along.  
The water was hardly warm enough as I stepped in but as the temperature slowly grew, I let it run down my back, wetting my hair. It wasn’t enough to wash my thoughts away but it did make me feel better – I made a mental note to thank Damien for his genius suggestion. I soaped up my hair and body before quickly running a razor over my legs, I could already feel how amazing they would feel in my clean bed sheets. After rinsing myself off I stepped out to wrap a towel around my body, grabbing an additional one to dry my hair as I snuck back to my room.

Message to: Damien x  
“You were right – I feel a lot better x”

I threw some black leggings and my oversized green Smosh tee I’d gotten from Smosh.store. I had a little bit of work to do but considering it was editing ‘The Damien and Shayne Show’, was it really work? I fluffed up the pillows behind me and opted to work from my bed today instead of my desk. I had just put my headphones on as my phone began to ring; I would have ignored it as I was in work mode but seeing Damien’s contact photo flash up made my heart flutter. I answered with a cheerful tone, trying to calm my heart down.

“So… I accidentally got the wrong coffee order from Starbucks – you have to help me.” I laughed at his very serious problem and asked how I could help with a playful tinge, egging him on to continue this act. “Well, I just happen to be pulling up to a random house and I was hoping they’d come out and take it off my hands.” I was about to question him as a navy jeep pulled into my drive. I looked down at my phone to see he had hung up as I quickly got out of bed and speed walked to the front door, opening it before he got the chance to knock. I smiled as I crossed my arms, he instantly returned the smile, "Oh! You live here? What a coincidence!" he laughed at his own sarcasm and handed me the coffee that just happened to be my exact coffee order. My face instantly softened - he remembered.  
"I don't just come bearing coffee - I wanted to help ease your mind." he said out loud as I stared at the back of his head as he buried himself in a tool bag in the backseat of his jeep. "I don't know a lot about cars, but I know enough to hopefully get you driving again."   
I gestured towards my cars, telling him to have at it before racing inside to grab my keys and returning to the man currently digging through his tools. 

I sat up on the hood of Damien's car as he talked me through what he was doing to my car. The information was going in one ear and out the other, but as I sipped my coffee I couldn't help but find myself genuinely focused on his voice. Before long, my car was back to its former glory, Damien sarcastically praising himself for his hard work.   
"You're my hero! How could I ever repay you?" I jumped off his car and wrapped my arms around him. He held me gently, resting his chin on the top of my head.   
"I don't want anything in return, I was simply helping a friend in need." he smiled softly at me as he let me go. I shook my head in protest,  
"No way, I have to do something!" I crossed my arms as I had a small brain fart. "Let me buy you dinner? Whatever you want, whenever you want!"   
He opened his mouth to speak but closed it again as Angie opened our front door and stepped out; wearing the shortest shorts I had ever seen and a see-through cardigan that was definitely not keeping her warm.  
"Y/N! You didn't say we were having guests!" She strutted over and extended her hand to Damien, "Name's Angie, but you can call me anyti-"   
"Damien." he cut her off as he shook her hand, almost yanking it away from her when she tried to hold it longer than appropriate.   
"Oh, you're Damien! I can finally put a face to the name - a very cute face at that." She winked, Damien looking at me, pleading with his eyes, visibly uncomfortable.  
"Damien just came around to help me out with my car." I tried to intervene and include myself in the conversation but her eyes refused to budge from Damien's body; he wasn't the only one who was feeling uncomfortable.  
"Why don't you come in, get out of this cold?" she smiled, batting her eyelashes. I rolled my eyes at her attempt to seduce him.  
"Actually Y/N/N and I were just leaving," he turned to me, "Go grab your things babe."  
BABE.

Angie's face suddenly turned sour. I nodded and practically ran off to hide how red my face had gotten. Reaching my room, I still had no idea what he was thinking but I was not objecting to being stolen away from the handsome goof. I began shoving things in my back pack; my laptop, hard drive, wallet, perfume and gum.   
By the time I returned, Nicole was also outside tormenting the poor man. I could feel the frustration bubbling inside me. I wish I had normal roommates. My eyes met Damien's and he instantly smiled, "Ready to go babe?" I said, casually making sure to slip my new favourite word in. He nodded in response as he locked my car and tossed the keys on his dash.   
"Sorry ladies, we have to get going - it was... Um... Nice to meet you?" the question making me giggle as it went straight over their heads, he walked to meet me a few steps from them and kindly took my bag as I gingerly snaked an arm around his waist.   
"I'll see you two later." I lifted my hand in a small wave, both of us smiling as we got into the car. I watched the two girls talk amongst themselves and look back at us every few seconds as we reversed out of the drive. I leant back into my seat, turning my head to smirk at Damien, "Thanks babe." I bit my tongue to suppress a giggle that slipped passed my lips when he began to laugh as well.   
"Why are you thanking me? This is a kidnapping - I'm taking you away from your terrible friends." his wide smile only causing mine to get wider.   
"I wouldn't call them friends - I'm so sorry they practically drooled all over you, they truly are horrible people." I let the last few words fall out of my mouth in a mumble as I fiddled with the rings on my fingers. Damien looked over and noticed my nervous tick and placed his free hand on my thigh, stroking gently with his thumb.  
"I'm definitely going to need therapy," he smirked, locking his eyes on mine as we stopped at a red light, "Maybe I will take that dinner."


	5. Four

Spending the day with Damien was something of a dream; conversations were easy and when the silence flooded the room - neither of us felt like we were drowning. We'd been sitting on Shayne and Damien's sofa for what felt like hours, in complete hysterics over the unedited clips I had of past Smosh sketches and Game Bangs.   
"How did Courtney's joke not make the final cut? And your commentary is fantastic! The fans would have loved it!" Damien's curiosity clear in his voice. I shrugged my shoulders and sighed,   
"Believe me, they were in my final cut, but the higher ups changed it before upload."

I always respected everything Defy did but when it came to my work and not being allowed to be as creative as I would have liked or having my opinions taken seriously instead of being tossed aside - it was really hard to stay on board.   
Damien shook his head with disappointment and mumbled something about Defy being assholes, I nodded in agreement. He reached forward to retrieve the remote from the coffee table, one hand holding my legs so they wouldn't fall off his lap where I'd placed them earlier.   
"I hope I didn't overstep any boundaries this morning," he put his arm behind his neck, resting both it and his head on the back of the sofa. I met his glance with a confused look, "When I called you 'babe'..." my eyes widened with realisation before my head automatically started shaking side to side.  
"Not at all!" I reached my arm out to touch his shoulder gently, "I found it endearing, don't stress babe." I winked to emphasize my point.   
"Oh I see how this is going to be - just remember you started this." he smirked as he absent-mindedly rubbed my legs. He had no clue that he was setting butterflies off inside me, but this extra soft side of Damien was one I wanted to keep forever.   
He switched the videos over to his downloads, selecting a familiar title,   
"You downloaded 'Angel Beats'?"   
"I wanted to see what you liked so much about it - it has to be good for it to be your favourite." he pressed play on the first episode, the theme filled the air as I rested my head on the back of the sofa. It wasn't long until I began to drift off and I let myself; in Damien's hands I felt so safe. 

I didn’t know how long I was out but as Damien was whisper yelling at Shayne for being ‘loud’ when he came home, I began to stir. I shifted in position to discover a blanket had been thrown over my torso and legs, including the man they were resting on. My eyes blinked open, adjusting to the light and finally seeing the arguing men. “You two could wake the dead.” I felt Damien jump slightly, not expecting me to be awake. Their volume raised to a normal pitch as they began apologising profusely. I raised my hand to stop them, “This is your house – you have every right to make as much noise as you want,” I stretched my arms, the blanket falling off my shoulders and into my lap, “Besides, I don’t mind anyway.” I began to shiver, cursing myself for not grabbing a sweater on my way out of my house, I rubbed my arms with my hands to warm them up as Shayne began to talk in full sentences.  
“I didn’t expect to see you here as Shayne began to talk in full sentences.  
“I didn’t expect to see you here Y/N,” he smiled warmly, walking into the kitchen with the bags of groceries he got on his way home from the gym, “Wanna stay for dinner?” He held up minced meat and tomato sauce with a hopeful expression, “I’m making meatballs!” I laughed under my breath.  
Damien looked over at him, “Actually Y/N/N and I have dinner plans, but save me some for lunch tomorrow.”  
Shayne started going on about how we were missing out on one of the greatest dishes to ever be made. I couldn’t help but laugh – Shayne Topp was easily one of the funniest people I had ever met, maybe even the funniest for some, but when both him and Damien were cracking jokes – I was done for.

I hadn’t realised that Damien had gotten up from the sofa until the anime paused in front of me – wow episode seven, I must have been out for a while. He arrived back with keys and a hoodie that he handed straight to me. “You’ll need this.” He said as he motioned towards the door with his head. I rose from my seat and walked towards the door, both of us shouting a good bye to Shayne whom was still rambling on in the kitchen as we left.  
“So where are we going?” I said as I struggled to get into his Jeep, being short had its perks, but this was not one of them.  
“You’ll see.” We drove in a peaceful silence, the hum of the radio the only sound needed. He pulled up outside a small hole-in-the-wall Japanese restaurant and turned off his car.  
“Sushi?” I raised my eyebrow, such a weeb. I smiled to myself.  
“The best sushi and soup you will ever have… you like sushi, right?” he asked, suddenly questioning himself.  
“Of course I do!” my reassuring smile earning a soft one in return.

We made our way inside and I stared at the extensive menu in front of me, completely bewildered by the options as well as the premade rolls in the display windows. Damien greeted the cashier by name, the owner coming through the kitchen door with an enthusiastic open mouth smile, Damien returning the smile with a proper greeting before asking how his family had been in fluent Japanese. Their conversation was long enough for me to finally come to a decision on what I wanted to eat; two spicy tuna rolls, a small serving of miso soup and an unsweetened iced tea. Damien on the other hand, didn’t have to make a sound for the cashier to input his exact order. I reached for my wallet as he swooped in and tapped his card, flicking me a cheeky grin as he did so.  
We stood back and waited for our order, “I knew you could speak some Japanese but that was rather impressive.” I referred to his heartfelt conversation with who I now know as ‘Mr. Ling’. He just shrugged,   
“It doesn’t cost a single cent to be nice to people, especially those in the hospitality industry.” I looked at him like he was the purest being on the planet and shook my head with a smile, exhaling from my nose.  
“Speaking of things that shouldn’t have cost you a single cent – I thought I was supposed to pay for dinner!”  
“A gentleman always pays.” He took a step forward and collected our food, thanking the waiter as he did so, “Come on, I want to show you something.”

We drove for about fifteen minutes before Damien told me to close my eyes – by this time the sun had almost set and the temperature was dropping slowly but noticeably; I was really looking forward to my Miso soup now.  
I felt the car come to a halt and the heat pumping through the vents suddenly stopped warming me and switched to the back, I heard Damien’s door shut and the doors to the trunk open up before the cool air rushed in as my door was opened too.   
“Keep your eyes closed, but I need you to get out without falling out,” he chuckled, guiding me down and to the back, “Do you mind if I…?” he trailed off as he put his hands on my hips to help me jump into the open trunk. I felt the car dip slightly as he sat beside me. “Alright, open.”  
I opened my eyes to see a gorgeous view of Los Angeles in a way I’d never seen before; the sun was only just on the horizon, casting an orange hue over the city. “Dames, it’s beautiful…” I glanced over at him, the brown of his eyes glowing in the setting sunlight. It was this kind of moment that feels like a cliché movie scene where the two main characters fall in love and kiss as the sun goes down; the thought lingered on my mind for a little longer than it should have but the sound of a plastic bag rustling caught my attention. Damien handed my food over and began talking about how he got to know the shop owner and his family. He really cared; not just about this particular group of people, but everyone. Everyone Damien came in contact with he went out of his way to put a smile on their face, just to prove that there were some good people left in this world.  
“This is my favourite part of coming up here, look over there,” he pointed to the left of the city and as if on cue the lights on billboards, radio towers and streets lit up in a wave across the city, finishing right when the sun fell off the earth. I sat in complete awe of the beauty that had fallen over the usual hustle and bustle of the city of Angels, “It’ll start getting cold now though,” he reached behind the seat and grabbed the hoodie I had previously forgotten about, “you should definitely put this on.”  
I slipped the yellow hoodie over my head and snuggled into it; the smell of Damien’s cologne and natural musk mixing together to coat the hoodie perfectly. I’m never giving this back.   
“I meant it when I said thank you for saving me today,” I took a sip of my tea, adjusting myself to look at him completely, “Last night was rough and this definitely beats hiding away in my room all day.” He shot me a concerned look, mouth full of sashimi making a sound to indicate he wanted me to elaborate. I began to fill him in on what had happened last night, leaving out the crude comments the girls had made about him; his stare felt like it could cut me in half from how hard he was listening, he then asked how much they were asking me for and almost choked on his drink.  
“Rent doesn’t just go up fifty dollars without warnings coming beforehand. She’s got to be lying to you Y/N/N.” he turned his head to look back out at the view, wiping his hands on a napkin.  
“I’m too nice of a person not to give her the benefit of the doubt, but that doesn’t mean I don’t agree with you,” he gave a quick chuckle, “But regardless, if I don’t get her the money by the time I get back ‘I won’t have a home to come back to’.” My voice changing to a mocking tone as I repeated what she had said to me the previous night. Damien’s head snapped back to me,  
“You didn’t tell me that! Now I know she’s lying to you-“  
“Truth or not, I need that place; rent is cheap and it’s somewhat close to work.” I smiled in defeat, taking the last bite of my sushi before looking back at him. His gaze was down at his feet; he looked sad. “I’ll look for a new place, it shouldn’t be too hard – this is LA baby!” I exclaimed, drawing out the word baby the way he always did in livestreams gaining a genuine smile on his face as he began to laugh.  
We sat there for another half hour, just talking about coming to Los Angeles and the differences our stories had; he was so grateful that he was able to become an actor and how ‘So Random!’ was one of the best things that could have happened to him. I told him how even after getting a degree in Screen and Media that nowhere was looking at me and I got more rejection letters than my email could handle so I gave up - until I watched one of the ‘Squad Vlogs’ and realised that I wanted to be a part of something that tight knit. I reminisced how I immediately started typing an email to Ian in some desperate attempt to fulfil this pipedream…   
“And you made it.” Damien smiled widely at me as I rambled on about how exciting it was to get an email back. I noticed his gaze move from me back to the city, crap I’m going on too much.  
“Sorry, I’m rambling-“  
“Don’t apologise for that; never stop talking about the things you’re passionate about.” He looked down at his buzzing phone, not noticing how much I was practically melting in his hands, I was falling hard and it needed to slow down. “Shayne and Courtney are getting frozen yoghurt then having a movie night, you in?”   
I could feel my body screaming to say yes, but I had to do the right thing, “Frozen yoghurt sounds amazing… but I really need to sort out this money situation with my roommates.” He nodded,  
“I get that – we’ll see you at work tomorrow anyway,” he began packing up our trash, tied it in the bag and placed it on his back seat, “I don’t trust Coyotes, they litter too much.” He answered my question I hadn’t even asked as I looked at the pubic trash can a few paces to our left. Damien was about to start the car up when his phone rang loudly, he suddenly got very jumpy, “It’s the recording company, I’ve been trying to get a voice acting gig with them for a while now – do you mind if I-“  
“Damien answer the phone!” I laughed, equally as excited as he was.

Knowing he would be a short while, I reached for my phone too and dialled a number I knew by heart.  
“Hey sweetheart!” I heard after a few rings, my heart feeling heavy; I loved talking to my Mum, but I hated doing this.   
“Hey Mum, how are things?” she began filling me in on what had happened recently with my step-father along with her work before asking me the same question.  
“That’s what I’m calling about – I hate this and I’m already sorry for it but is there any chance I could borrow a little bit of money?” I closed my eyes and held my breath – I could feel my heart in my throat.  
“Of course you can, are you okay?” her tone was full of worry, I elevated mine so she wouldn’t suspect anything was too too wrong.   
“I’m just a little behind on my rent, that’s all! You know how I told you about the company I work for going bankrupt blah, blah, blah – well my pay has gone down quite a bit and my rent just went up so I’m stuck in an unfortunate position…” I added a small laugh to the end of my sentence to try convince my mother that I was still in happy spirits. I lowered the amount that I was needing so it didn’t look like I was in complete strife and she said she’d put it in my account when we hung up – it felt terrible to ask my parents for money but I felt a lot better knowing that I could pay them back bit by bit in my own time; that was one less thing to stress over.   
“So how are you really?” she asked as I glanced up and could see Damien still on the phone but smiling widely a couple feet away,  
“I feel really confident that things at work will pick up again shortly, I’m happy,”   
“That’s a nice change, we’ve been worried about you all alone in ‘the big city’,” she laughed, “are you coming home for Thanksgiving?”  
“I can’t come home for Thanksgiving, but I’ll definitely see you at Christmas.” I saw Damien finish his conversation and begin to walk back over to me,  
“I hate to think of you alone for Thanksgiving,” I could hear the frown in her voice, I shook my head.  
“I’ll figure something out Mum,” Damien’s smiling face by my side now, “I don’t mind being alone, I can get a bunch of work done.” His face changed to a confused look as he mouthed the word ‘what?’  
I covered the receiver to whisper, “She’s worried about me being alone for Thanksgiving…” I rolled my eyes comedically at him,  
“Can I talk to her?” he put his hands in a begging position, mouthing ‘please’…   
I would have said no if it was anyone else, “Hey Mum? A friend of mine would like to talk to you really quickly – is that okay?” I nodded at her response and handed my cell to Damien,  
“Hi Mrs. Y/M’s/L/N, I’m Damien – yes I work with Y/N; no, no, no we aren’t at work right now,” he smiled at me warmly, I continued to look at him with confusion. “I stole her away for dinner- unfortunately not but I’m working on it.” He chuckled, his fingers running through his fringe; that was his nervous tick- what?  
“I just wanted to assure you that Y/N will definitely not be alone on Thanksgiving as I will be very hurt if she doesn’t spend it with me.” I looked up at him and blushed as I smiled, “will you?” he mouthed. I frantically nodded as I bit my lip to stop myself smiling like a mad woman. He said he would take good care of me before bidding my mother goodbye and handing me back my cell as he gestured that he’d be in the car.  
“Keep him, he’s lovely.” My mother said, in a profoundly serious tone before saying her goodbyes and hanging up. I climbed into the car to be greeted by a smiling face,  
“My mother thinks you’re lovely.” He hummed happily, telling me that she also called him ‘sweetie’.   
“She sounded very relieved that you were spending Thanksgiving with me-“he started,  
“You didn’t have to offer just because my mum was worried, I’m totally fine being alo- “   
“Y/N/N I would really, genuinely, like if you spent Thanksgiving with us,” He laughed, putting his hand on my knee like he’d done earlier in the day, “The Smosh Squad and the Games crew are all talking about going to Ian’s for a massive lunch and various activities through the night – will you please come with me?”   
“As long as I wouldn’t be intruding, I’d love to.” I smiled at him as we began to drive off, my phone buzzing to show I had received four-hundred dollars into my account; my mother is a true blessing.   
“You wouldn’t be – I’ll add you to the group chat when we get home!” he smiled, removing his hand and focusing on the road. I stared at him in anticipation, my eyes and smile growing wider, he looked at me and laughed, "What?"  
"Are you going to tell me whether or not you got the gig?!" I held my breath as he began to nod,  
"I got it!"  
"Dames! That's amazing!" At this stage, the world would have to use a sledgehammer to take the smile off my face.   
"You must be my good luck charm."


	6. Five

After running in to say a quick hello to Shayne and Courtney, I had gathered my things and was back in the car with Damien on my way back to my apartment. The nerves started to hit me as we rounded the corner onto my street; my mind was full of doubt and not being convinced that Nicole and Angie didn't have ulterior motives just added to my anxiety. 

Damien reached over and placed a hand on top of my fiddling ones, "I don't have to take you home..." I moved my hands slightly so I could hold his hand with both of mine in a 'I need comfort' kind of way.   
"I wish that was the truth - I think I might implode from the stress I'm feeling but I need to face this problem head-on." I sounded like it was a business meeting - but maybe that's the way I needed to think of it.   
"What are you going to do about the money?" he asked as he slowed to turn into my drive. I didn't want him to think I was weak for running to my parents when something went wrong - so I didn't tell him that I had already been given the money.   
I exhaled loudly and shook my head, "I'll just have to talk to them and tell them that it's not possible until next week."

He looked at me as he put his car in park and switched off the engine, his eyes were soft and definitely not convinced that I would be okay, but he trusted me. I got out as he walked around to my side and wrapped me in his warm embrace, whispering encouraging words into the top of my head that made me smile, a small giggle slipping out when he cracked a joke about my roommates. I felt his body move as he chuckled along with me before he pressed a small kiss to my forehead, "Please call me if anything goes wrong."   
"Thank you, Dames - for everything. I don't know what I'd do if I didn't have a friend like you"  
"Yeah, I'm a delight." he smiled as he let me go and we said our goodbyes, throwing small waves at each other as he drove off. I took a deep breath and put my keys in the door, opening it to find both girls standing there waiting, sour looks on both their faces. 

"Before you say anything, yes I have the money - I'm sorry I haven't gotten it to you sooner, I didn't exactly have much time." I mumbled my last few words as I pulled out my phone and set up the transfer to Nicole's account. She hummed in response,   
"Looks like we were right Ang - our girl went and pimped herself out to sweet Damien to get my money." I hit the send button as my head snapped up.  
"Excuse me?" my teeth almost grinding together.  
"He obviously only came around because you wanted to screw him for the money - why else would you have spent the whole day with him?" Angie piped up.  
"We're friends?" My face was plastered with a look of utter bewilderment.  
"You expect us to believe that? You aren't exactly a fun person to be around Y/N." Nicole added.  
"I'm never home! How could you possibly know if I'm a fun person or not? I'm constantly working so I can pay the bills that you seem to forget to use your own money for!" I could feel my face getting hot with rage.  
"I have things I want to buy!" She continued, her valley girl accent prominent as she rolled her eyes, her phone dinging with the notification that my money had been sent through. She pulled out her phone and quickly typed for a couple of seconds before I heard the printer on my desk making noises.   
"And I don't? My money goes towards things I need, I haven't bought anything I genuinely want in a long, long time!" I didn't think I could get more angry.  
"That's your choice, I don't spend my money on anything but the things I want - besides its not like you have to worry about money now you have a Sugar Daddy." Nicole laughed as she walked directly into my room, I stared after her.  
"He's not my..." I stopped and took a breath, "You know nothing about him, so I would appreciate if you shut your mouth." I stupidly bit back.  
"Whatever Y/N, it's obvious what he's like if he's just going to give you mone-"  
"I got the money from my parents." I saw Angie's face change to say something but was interrupted by Nicole waving the paper around as she walked out, "So you're just using my things without asking now?" Nicole rolled her eyes as she handed the brightly coloured paper to Angie.  
"It's in our house, just because you pay for it doesn't mean it's only yours," she turned to the other girl and smiled widely, pointed at the paper, "You should wear that red sheer pull over!" Angie's eyes sparkled with excitement,   
"Oh my god, I should!" I put my hands up,   
"You don't own a red pull over, I own a red pull over." I stood straighter as my mind began to race with all the other things that had 'gone missing' from my room and my closet over the last few months.   
"What did I just say?" Nicole stated, placing the papers on the table in front of me, I glanced down and read the big bright lettering.  
"Please don't tell me that you used the money I paid you for rent for FESTIVAL tickets!" I could feel my face getting redder and redder by the second.  
"It's like you don't listen to us at all -" they looked at each other for a second, "I. Do not. Use my mon-ey for bor-ing things!" She moved her head from side to side with every syllable.   
"So what happens to the money I pay for my rent?" My teeth gritted together, my vision blurring with rage - do I actually want to hear this answer?   
"I use it for the things I need," she holds up her perfectly manicured nails, "I have other arrangements for my rent." Angie winked at Nicole.  
"You're sleeping with our landlord, aren't you?" I put my head in my hands.  
"Well, I wouldn't exactly call it sleeping..." she giggled to herself. I raised my head and stared at her,  
"I want my money back." A defeated laugh coming out as I said it.  
"Mmm... No." Ang's bitch face taking over.  
"Yes Angela. You've been ripping me off for fuck knows how long!" I barked.  
"You aren't getting shit Y/N." she bit back, trying to match my tone but failing. My eyes twitched with rage before I started yelling.  
"I'm done. This is it this time. I want all my stuff that you two have taken from me, right now." Neither of them moved a muscle; I threw my bag on the sofa and stormed into the kitchen, getting trash bags and pushed my way into their rooms to start the scavenger hunt for my things. I could hardly hear myself think over through the insults and attempted arguments thrown my way. I filled one and a half of the trash bags with the stuff taken from my room - underwear and bras included. Who takes underwear?!

I slammed my door closed in their faces and begun to pack everything I owned into my suitcases and walked past them to my car. Thank goodness Damien had fixed it - maybe he really is psychic like the fans believe. After my third trip, I went back inside and picked up my backpack from the sofa, staring at them as I stood in the door way. "I've never met anyone as despicable as the both of you. I don't have the energy to argue with you about the money, so keep the rent, but I want that extra fifty dollars back in my account by tomorrow morning or I'm calling the police and you two and your fuck buddy landlord will be done for fraud." My tone was harsh and to the point, but smooth and calm.   
"I deserve to keep that fifty dollars as payment for dealing with whatever the fuck that just was." Ang scoffed. I laughed,   
"You deserve payment for getting called out?" I shook my head, "Right, make sure to tell the police that." I looked around the apartment and wondered what the hell I was going to do now. "I hope life treats you the way you deserve, never contact me again."

I walked out to the sounds of more insults, the volume decreasing as I turned my key in the ignition - the engine thankfully turning on. My mind raced as I drove down the street, my eyes not being able to hold back the tears that flooded my cheeks as I reached the stop sign. There was only one place I could go.


	7. Six

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Please be cautious of the P.O.V change!

\--------Damien's P.O.V----------

"That's what I'm saying! Princess Peach would definitely take Daisy in a fight!" Shayne's voice raised an octane to emphasize his point to which Courtney made a face as she swallowed the mouthful of cider so she wouldn't spit it out in disagreement.  
"Are you kidding me, dude? Princess Peach is always in need of saving whilst Daisy can just come out of the shadows and surprise us all!" I shook my head as I watched the character selection menu animation repeat over and over, Waluigi patiently waiting for me to start the game once Courtney finally made her decision.   
As my two best friends continued to playfully bicker I picked up my phone for the umpteenth time in hopes that I would have a notification from Y/N; but to my dismay it had been radio silence winced I dropped her home. My leg began to bounce in anticipation as I tried to focus my attention back on the two blondes in my living room.  
"Peach is an independent woman! Maybe she was running away from Mario!" Shayne rebuttled as Courtney mentioned something along the lines of "yeah into the arms of an overgrown turtle, where's her independence now?". I laughed as I watched Shayne fail to have a comeback for that one causing Courtney's face to light up with glee. Shayne ran his fingers through his fringe and pursed his lips, trying not to smile, "Okay, whatever, I'm still picking Peach." 

Right as Courtney picked up her controller to finally start the round we were interrupted by a faint knock at the door. I jumped up and unlocked the bolts as my friends continued to make jokes at the other's expense. I swung the door open to be greeted by the back of someone's Y/H/C head; my heart hitched for a second until I noticed the delivery bag on the floor next to this girl. She spun around and beamed up at me, "Delivery for Damien?" I smiled gratefully and handed over the cash in my pocket, thanked her and closed the door again.  
"Pizza!" I exclaimed, stating the obvious before placing it on the coffee table in front of the sofa. It was if we hadn't eaten in weeks as we dove on the heavenly scented box; my teeth has just pierced the greasy triangle of goodness as my phone buzzed on the table, followed by the same tone on both my friends' phones too. I continued eating my slice with less enthusiasm, now a little bummed that it still wasn't Y/N.  
"You alright man?" Shayne said, his mouth completely full, typing a quick 'ok' to Ian's message on the work group chat. The new vibration on my phone stinging a little more than the first.   
"Yeah, of course - just waiting for a text." I smiled hopefully. Nodding, Shayne took another bite,  
"From the voice-over company?" I turned and smiled wider,   
"Actually no, I got that one already - I got the gig!" a few cheers sounded from both of them as Court reached up and patted my knee in admiration.   
"So you're waiting on someone to text you then… wouldn't happen to be Y/N/N by any chance?" she wiggled her eyebrows as Shayne cooed. I blushed as I threw them a look that they both smirked at, "Hey, no argument here, I think she's great."   
Shayne agreed, wiping his hands on a napkin, "Yeah man, she's really chill, she'd be good fun to have around - you two are pretty close nowadays, right?" I shrugged half-heartedly,   
"I mean, we've kind-of always been friends - or maybe slightly above acquaintances - and we've hung out a few times over the past couple of months but I realised that with Defy doing this… we might not see each other again and it would be a total waste of a few months if I didn't try form a real friendship with her." They both nodded in agreement, murmuring that they should do the same.   
"I like her, I need more gal-pals." Court smiled widely at me, Shayne picked up her glance,   
"Yeah, and I need to start writing my best man speech." he softly punched me in the arm as I fake gasped,   
"Well, you don't have long, the wedding's in fall!" I laughed, both of them following suit. Shayne stopped first,   
"So you do like her?" I took a sip from my diet coke and sighed under my breath,  
"I don't not like her, I just don't want to get into anything too soon, you know? And besides, she has a lot going on and we're co-workers…"   
"We might not be for much longer." Court added, a collective sigh filling the room. Going for another slice, Courtney got a text from Olivia and read it out with laughter - with the attention no longer on me and my potential love life, I sighed with relief. It's not that didn't like talking about our co-workers, or Y/N in specific, because I really, really did want to talk about her, its more the fact that maybe I did actually have feelings for her - and that scared me. I couldn't fall for someone I didn't know much about.. But I guess I just had to find out. I picked up my phone to start drafting a text.

\--------- Y/N's P.O.V -------------

I pulled into the parking garage for the building that wasn't going to house our offices for much longer; I felt like a ghost as I waited for the elevator, security not even bothering to look up when I walked by. I half expected my pass not to work as I reached our floor but alas I was able to wander all the way to my desk before dropping my backpack on the floor and flicking my lamp on. The clock in the corner read 9:43 pm but my mind was screaming that it was surely midnight by now - I felt exhausted, both physically and mentally but I knew that I would have to get through this, everything happens for a reason.  
I grabbed two of the bean bags from the opposite side of the room and began walking to the cast room in hopes to find a blanket and if I was lucky, a pillow or two. Right as I picked up a multi-patterned throw I heard my phone begin to buzz from the other room, a small amount of panic rising in my chest at the thought of it being an abusive message from my now ex-roommates. I stared at the small blue light blinking rhythmically at the top of my phone for at least two entire minutes, worried about what could possibly be beneath it but immediately smiled with relief when I saw another message come through and Damien's name flash on my screen. 

Message Received: Damien x (2)  
“Hey, let me know how things went, I hope it was all good!x”  
“Not that you NEED to let me know…”

I began to type my response he sent through another message and I couldn’t help but giggle at the awkwardness.

Message Received: Damien x  
“Sorry, that was weird. I had a great day today, looking forward to seeing you tomorrow. X”

Message To: Damien x (2)  
"Wasn't weird - you're cute when you're flustered x"  
"It was.…not good at all but I'll tell you what happened tomorrow after I've slept, I'm exhausted :(("

Message Received: Damien x  
"That sucks, I hope you're okay :( Shayne and Court just left so I'm about to head to bed too."

Message To: Damien x (2)  
"You'll have to tell me all about it tomorrow."  
"Good night Dames - Thank you again for today, it was definitely the highlight x"

Message Received: Damien x  
"Night Y/N - pleasure is all mine. Looking forward to hearing you tell everyone how you'll save the company tomorrow ;) x"

I stared at my phone in two separate emotions at once; a small amount of joy from such a simple conversation, and immense pressure from his last message. This meeting had been the last thing on my mind but I had to make sure it was perfect - after all, Damien was right, maybe I had a shot at saving the company.   
"I'll only work on it for an hour." I said to myself as I grabbed my laptop from on top of my desk and pulled it and the blanket on top of me as I got to work.


	8. Seven

A high pitched noise rang through the air as my eyes slowly pried open. I'm not sure if it was my alarm or the undeniable stiffness of my neck but the morning was already filling with regret; my one hour of working on what I was going to present, turned into three. I groaned as I stood up from my make-shift bed of bean bags and looked out the windows at the sun creeping over the horizon - it wasn't that it was super early, but it was definitely too soon to be awake… but today was important. I rubbed my eyes as I began to rearrange the room to how it was meant to be, no one could know that I slept here last night - how the hell was I going to stay again tonight without anyone noticing… - I shook my head from the thought, yes that was something I had to figure out but number one on my to-do list was prepare for the meeting this morning.  
I walked to the bathroom with my makeup bag and toothbrush, two things playing on my mind as I tried not to stuff up my eye-liner; was I capable of holding back my anxiety long enough to have this serious of a chat with the crew? And, if I wasn't able to do my part to save the company, was I going to be able to survive? I began humming to myself as a distraction, walking back to my desk to grab my keys to go get some new clothes from my car when my pocket started vibrating from incoming texts on the work group chat.

Message Received: Shayne to 'Slaves to the Internet'  
"Anyone want coffee on our way in?" 

Message Received: Ian to 'Slaves to the Internet'  
"Yeah I'll take one"

Message To: 'Slaves to the Internet'  
"Oh god yes, I need a huge one please"

Message Received: Keith to 'Slaves to the Internet'  
"That's what she said"

I laughed to myself as the cold air from the parking garage hit me; I knew I probably had about twenty minutes until anyone got here, which meant I could easily get changed and back to the office in time to go over what I was going to say a few more times. I dug around in the suitcase on my back seat, grabbing a cute yellow tee tied at the bottom and black high waisted jeans that would go with the classic style converse I already had on then checked over everything in the rest of the car, locked it and headed back upstairs. Once in the elevator I breathed a sigh of relief; at least my car is okay, that’s the only thing I know is still going right. 

After getting looking at myself in the mirror in my new outfit, I smiled to myself as my phone vibrated again; 

Message Received: Damien x  
"Hey, we're around the corner from your place, want a lift?"

Message To: Damien x  
"I'm actually already at work - thank you though! See you soon x"

I truly didn't understand why I was lucky enough to have his attention; believe me I was grateful as all I could think about was him, but we had to be careful if this was something we actually did want to pursue… what am I talking about? I can't just fantasise about a relationship with Damien, I don't know how he feels and I need to get my life in order before I think about anyone. 

\---------------------------------------------------

I sat cross-legged on the desk at the front of the room, staring intently at th screen in my lap, mumbling over the dot points I had written down to prompt what I was going to say after each. I felt a hand on my shoulder and suddenly there was a Starbucks cub in my face, the smell of strong coffee in the air, "You look like you need this," Ian smiled, taking a seat beside me, "How are you going?" he motioned towards my laptop. I made a few clicks before setting it aside and taking a long sip of the warm liquid.  
"I think I've managed to form a few cohesive sentences - but yeah," I nodded my head towards the screen behind us, "It'll be interesting to get people's reactions and opinions; negative and positive, I could definitely use the feedback." I looked up at Ian's puzzled look as I said a muffled 'what?' into my coffee.  
"Do you really think there will be even an ounce of negativity? Y/N you're practically telling everyone that we still have the ability to put out content after doomsday has hit - If we can pull this off, we could attract another corporation and hopefully not be homeless." My eyes widened.  
"That's an awesome idea for a video," I grabbed my laptop again and started writing keywords, " 'Smosh is homeless' - you could all sit on a sofa and calmly yet comedically let the fans know what is going on - show the outside world that we're confident enough within ourselves to inform the interne that we're not going anywhere."  
"You have to say that exact sentence to everyone when they arrive," Ian eyes stared into mine, "I'm thoroughly convinced already." I scoffed playfully, picking my coffee up again, he doing the same, "Y/N/N I believe in you." he tapped his cup gently to mine. 

\----------------------------------------------------

"I know that we're in a world of unknown right now, I'm really trying to find a way out of this mess," a 'it's not your fault' coming from the crew and a few murmurs of agreement as I smiled at our boss sympathetically, telling him to keep going. "But I was having a chat with Y/N earlier and we both agree that there could be a light at the end of the tunnel." he returned my smile and nodded his head.   
Without skipping a beat I projected my laptop screen onto the wall, "Before I was a writer and editor here at Smosh, I was a huge fan; I loved watching all the fan-made edits that would flood Tumblr and Instagram every single day - I can't explain how surreal it is getting to do that for a living now, so in saying that…" I opened a folder that was clearly titled unedited Smosh videos and began to scroll through the pages and pages of videos in the folder, "Just because Defy had the final call on what we uploaded, that doesn't mean that the remaining footage was lost." I turned and pointed at a few folders within the folder, "These are clips that weren't included in a couple 'Try Not To Laugh' videos that were released back in September, I'm sure the fans would go crazy if we posted these as a 'Didn't make the cut' edition." I made eye contact with Damien as his toothy smile covered his face.  
"Does this mean we still have content?" Olivia said under her breath, her head snapping up as I replied.  
"Yes!" I clicked on another folder, opening to videos that had no Defy watermark on them, "These videos are fully edited, thumbnail made, ready to upload content that Defy haven't even seen previews of - and between the editors and production crew and cast, we could have enough content to last upwards of three months, even if we do an upload every day!"   
"We don’t need some evil over lords lurking around the place, we can do this on our own, we can do it ourselves!" Ian's enthusiasm getting laughs from the crowd, his smile and head nod at me making me cheer for myself internally. "Cutting out the middle man will not only save us time but we can produce more and more videos which in turn will run us a pretty profit."  
The atmosphere in the room changed dramatically with every word both Ian and I spoke; I hadn't seen the crew this excited in anything in quite a while. As they began talking amongst themselves, Ian turned and started peppering me with praise before we got a few questions thrown at us and I slipped in my idea on how to inform the fans.  
"That's perfect!" Matt Raub exclaimed, walking over to me, "Show me what you've got so far."

\--------------------------------------------------

The excitement eventually died down as people filtered back out to their respected areas, hugging me or patting me on the shoulder as they went, promising me that they'd either get the footage on hard drives for me or shoot it through via email as soon as they could. I started to pack away my laptop as I jumped from fright when a voice came from the back of the now empty room. "You scared me!" I laughed as Damien walked forward, pushing in chairs that were left out, "Did I do okay?" I leant against the wall.  
"Okay? Y/N that was incredible - you're incredible." I could feel myself blush as I looked at the floor, smiling I shook my head.  
"Hardly, anyone could have done it."   
"But they didn't. You did. You were the one who thought of the plan that could save our company - Y/N, you're incredible." he stepped forward once more and reached for my hands. I reached back and felt the warmth of his skin as his thumbs gently rubbed the back of my hands as he held them, "Now, let me help you so we can get out of here and go to-" he checked his watch, "Brunch. You gotta fill me in on what happened last night."  
I exhaled loudly and scrunched my face at the thought of last night seeping back into my mind again. "Only because I want to hear about your night," letting go of his hands to grab my bag, "and you're too sweet to say no to." I looked over my shoulder to see him blush and smirked to myself. 

Now we're even.


End file.
